Longtime UFC veteran and current featherweight Edson Barboza will be back in action next year.
Barboza is set to take on Steve Garcia on February 22, 2025, at a UFC event yet to be officially announced. No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been announced for the card, though with UFC 312 scheduled for Sydney, Australia that month, it’s almost certain to be a Fight Night card.
MMA Fighting was first to report news of the match-up. Garcia later confirmed the booking, adding on social media “I told yall it’s about that time again! The fans been asking, so we are making it happen. This is must see T.V.”
Barboza (24-12) entered the UFC in November of 2010, debuting at UFC 123 with a leg kick TKO of Mike Lullo. Then undefeated, Barboza would earn victories in his first four UFC fights, including a highlight-reel spinning wheel kick finish of Terry Etim that lives on in highlight packages to this day.
After flirting with a lightweight title shot but never quite getting there, Barboza dropped to featherweight in 2020, where he’s posted a 4-4 record through eight fights. Now 38, the Brazilian has earned three straight post-fight bonuses, including Fight of the Night in his most recent outing, a loss against Lerone Murphy.
Garcia (17-5) is six years Edson Barboza’s junior, and has put together a five-fight win streak dating back to October 2022. In that span, he has defeated the likes of Chase Hooper and Kyle “The Monster” Nelson, among others. Garcia, like Barboza, has found success in the bonus department, earning back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses.
